The graphic co



j render the rail dependent upon the nitrati wat @that i GEORGE PALMER, oFLTTLEsToJWN, PENNSYLVANIA.l 4 i," Lctt/rsPatcn'tlNo. 83,303, dated `Gotcha/'20, 1868.

RALWAY-Rnrr. JorNT.

` m The Schedule referred tolrn these 'Letters Patent and making part of the same".

To allwhom it may conce/m: j.

Beit known 4that 1,1GE0RGE PALMER, oi' Littlestown, in the county, of Adams, and State of Pennsylvania, "have invented a new and usefulv ImprovementJ in Joints forRalroad-Rails`; and I do hereby declare vthe following to be a'full,` clear,aud exact description` of the same, reference `being had to the accompanying Y i `Figure 1 is a-perspectve View lof my joint.

Figurel 2 is a perspective `view of my joint, when wood, instead of metal, isemployed.

. Figures, 4, and are long gitudinal` and Across-sec-A tions of fig. 2.

Figure 6 vis a perspective view, showing my joint constructed so as to aid in replacing cars when off the track.

My invention consists in providing the butt-joint of railroad-'rail with a lap or fish-piece long enough to rest upon several ties, and high enough to receive andlsupport fthe car-Wheel whenthe' same is passing over said joint, and constructed so that it may be secured to the ties, independent ofthe rail, the object being 'to enable the car-,wheels to pass over the butt-joints, without batter-ing the ends of the rails, and Without changing the general `rigidity of the track, and to Iapply'said fish-pieces in such lway that their iastenings may be independent of the fastenings of the rails and they can, therefore, be readily applied to tracks which are already laid.

The nature andxobject ofthe invention will more.

fully appear from the following description.

Various modes of securing the ends of railroad-rails, so thatthey may not bebattered and shortly destroyed by the constant passage of the loaded-car wheels over them, have/heretotbre beenv proposed, and the principal expedients to this end may be included vin a group, having one feature in common, viz, rigid attachj ment to the rail. Thisfrigidfattaehment I seek to avoid. Though it may be advisableto insert bolts through the rails, in cases where holes already exist, I deem it advisable only as additional precaution, and not otherwisebeneiicial or necessary; and where such bolts are employed, they `should. not be so tight to iish-pieceL for its strength.

I am aware that iish-pieces have been applied heretofore, in such a way that the car-wheel would be received thereon while passing over the joint of the rail; but such fish-pieces have always, so far as I am informed, combined the functions of a chair, and have therefore been firmly bolted to the lail.

That others may fully understand the construction and operation of my invention, I will particularly de- A scribe it.

'A A are the rails, butted together at B,"and held in vided with feet, as shown in fig `or spikes may be inserted, to hold it to the tie, or the position in re ard to each other bv any vof the usual devices for tha purpose.

0 is the iish-piiece, which is made of sulicicnt length to rest upon two or more of the tics, and the shape of its inner side may'eonform to the shape of the rail. It

is not essential that it should so conform, but only convenient andadvisable,

This fish-piece may be made of' metal, as in iig. 1, orof wood and metal, as in iigt 2. If made entirely of'wo0d, it would not be suiiiciently durable to be useful.

If the {ish-piece O is made of metal, it may be prol, through which bolts feet may be made separate, and simply bear against the side of the.ish-piece, so as to hold it up against the side of the rail. To this end, the ordinary angleirons or side-chairs may be employed, 'as represented at D. l

In order more' 'eliectuallyto |`retain the slnpiece in place, and to render it-to some degree adjustable, re-

` ,cesses may be formed in its side, in Which .the upright portions of the angle-irons D may'iit; and when, in

consequence of long use, the iishpiecehas lbecome somewhat loose, it may be rendered-tight again, by driving wedges under their outer ends, as shown at E, which operation will cause the upper end of said p angle-irons to press closely against the fish-piece again.

I should prefer to drive these wedges between the angle-ironand tie, rather than betweenthe angle-iron and fish-piece, for the reason they would thus be less affected by the vibrations of the track.

Vhen the fish-piece C is not made entirely of metal, then I use wood, with a hardened plate, F, inserted in itsA upper surface, opposite the joint B.

The plate F must be secured and constructed in such a manner as will prevent it from being bent by the repeated passage of heavy wheels, andk the most ready and effectual way of accomplishing this'is by forming it with a rib, g, on its under side. Ihis rib is let into the wood, and the whole may be securely fastened by extending said rib, either in the form of a bolt, as shown in iig. 3, or by making the rib itself of suiiicient depth to receive pins or screws through it, to key it fast `to the wooden lish-piece, as shown in fig. v5.

The plate F may be made of cast or Wrought-metal, as desired.

` j The wooden'iish-piece may be 'secured in place in the same manner as that employed when a metallic one is used, or it may be bolted or spiked directly to the ties. f

In connection with the above-described iish-piece, it would be an advantageous mode of construction if the metallic piece C should be made with grooved vand sloping ends, as shown in iig. 6, the object being to a'ord, at every rail-joint, or at intervals of some fourteen feet, facility for regaining the track, if a car chances to be thrown therefrom. This arrangement would secure at all points, and' permanently attached, means for regaining the track, and it will not, therefore, be necessary to depend uponthe portable contrivances for this purpose which are sometimes carried upon the engine.

It will he obseryed that `no part of this device extends beneath the rail, and itis, therefore, evidentthat the rail does not receive any additional stiffness from the presence of the fish-piece. This is considered advantageous, as it will insure the passage of the carwheel upon the fish-piece, Without making the surface of said piece sensibly higher than the surface of the rail, because the elasticity of the rail will permit it to yield. The consequence of this will be a perfectly smooth passage of the car over the joint, as the Wheel will neither strike the end of the rail, nor will the car v-lce lifted suddenly, to pass upon the fish-piece, a little higher than the level of the rail.

Having described my invention,

What I claim as new is- 1. The fish-piece O, lapping the rail-joint B, its upper surface as high as the level of the top of the rail, in length, suicientto rest upon two or more ties, and secured to said ties, independent of the fastenings of the rail. y 4

2. A wooden iish-piece, provided with a metallic plate on its upper surface, lapping the rail-joint B; substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. A fish-piece, lapping the rail-joint B, and constructed with the grooved ends as shown and described,

vfor the purpose of enabling cars to regain the track,

after having been thrown therefrom, asset forth.

Witnesses; GEORGE PALMER.

R. D. 0. SMITH,

R. S. TURNER. 

